Non-Competitive Contracting: Lessons from Contracting Personnel

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Authors
Hartmann, Latika
Cissell, Josh
Rendon, Rene
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2021-05-19
Date
05/19/21
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
In this paper, we survey a small group of Air Force contracting personnel to understand their views on contracting in sole-source environments. Our findings suggest Air Force contracting personnel in this setting know that sellers in non-competitive relationship have more leverage and power than the buyer. Indeed, 90% of respondents feel they operate at a negotiating disadvantage in sole-source contracts. Arming them with certified cost and pricing data does not improve leverage according to majority of them. Rather, they identify two constraints in their qualitative responses. First, the sole-source environment itself contributes to the problem. Second, many respondents feel they operate at an informational disadvantage compared to their private counterparts. This suggests specific training on their contracts would be more valuable than any general training on business acumen.
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Presentation
Description
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NPS Report Number
SYM-AM-21-117
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Prepared for the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943.
Naval Postgraduate School
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Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.